‘I would go back and do the same’

‘I would go back and do the same’

Lisa Rutledge, Times Staff

Northern Ireland born military man and long-time Galt Royal Canadian Legion member Samuel Davis sacrificed many years of his life to fight for freedom around the world. He continues giving his time to collect funds for the Poppy Campaign for weeks leading up to Nov. 11.

For many years, 73-year-old Samuel Davis has been a fixture at the Galt Food Basics around Remembrance Day, collecting coins for the annual Poppy Campaign.

And while the sharply dressed gentleman is best known for his kind words to those who donate to his collections box, few can truly appreciate the depth of his courage.

Even if he could turn back the clock, the Northern Ireland native would enlist himself with Royal Irish Regiment and risk death all over again.

That is how passionate he is about justice, freedom and peace.

“If I had to live life over again, I would go back and do the same thing,” he told the Cambridge Times in an interview Wednesday. “I would.”

Although the military ran deep in his family’s blood, Davis said his mother sobbed when he joined the army, especially at just 17 years of age.

“My mother cried,” he said. “I was her only son.”

But the call to balance injustice at home and abroad was louder for the then-young Davis.

“I didn’t like to see people getting killed,” he said. “I like to see peace and harmony.”

While his military career was long and took him far from home, the seven years Davis spent in West Germany were among the most haunting.

Stepping into Holocaust concentration camps where millions of Jews perished still conjures up unimaginable images for Davis, even though the buildings were empty.

“I couldn’t go to sleep at night,” he said.

To this day, Davis said he doesn’t fear death. Those words don’t come lightly, either. During his peacekeeping efforts with the Royal Irish regiment in West Germany, he faced more than his fair share of deadly circumstances.

With bombshells flying overhead, Davis was tasked with collecting and defusing shells. He remembers crawling out of trenches on his hands and knees to disarm bombs that didn’t explode, but could go off at any moment.

“It was frightening.”

On Sunday, Davis will one of many local veterans who will be laying a wreath at the Galt cenotaph in memory of fallen soldiers, as well as in honour of those serving current duty in places like Afghanistan.

Remembrance Day is an especially difficult time for Davis. About four years ago, more than 10 of his friends in Northern Ireland were killed when a bomb went off on Nov. 11 during a ceremony at a cenotaph.